Watermark Pro's and Con's

[ForestsOfWildflowers]

Hi Guys,

I have read a number of threads on watermarking, some people are a hard "yes watermark! omg your photos will get stolen. It happened to me etc etc" other people are like "what's the point, they will get stolen anyway watermark or not people will just use the clone tool. It happened to me etc etc" - one interesting piece I stumbled upon talked about how etsy won't feature watermark images, and then someone else argued this is no longer the case with the updated homepage.
My questions are
- Is it worth the time if it's easy to steal the images anyway? Will it deter anyone or are people really that ruthless? Does it particularly matter? E.g. Everyone knows DH gate is all cheap knock off versions of nice pictures and you won't in fact get what is pictured. Have any of you guys had your images stolen by them and noticed a negative impact on your business?
- I can't find the relevant information on watermarking affecting feature chances beyond the "tips to getting featured" suggesting "avoid using watermarks in your images" updated 2016. Could anyone shed some light on whether that means don't place the watermark over the entire image or avoid watermarking in general? Also could anyone direct me to more information on this?
Thanks
Paige

[DabooDesignsLLC]

I have gone both ways with watermarks. I used them for a while. My concern wasn't theft, I was thinking more along the lines of marketing and branding. I put my watermark in the bottom right corner of the image. As I did more research google also tends to reduce the ranking of watermarked images, so I decided to simply make the best images that I can and post them without watermarking. If someone steals them, so be it. I'll cross that bridge if I need to. Even when I did use watermarks, they were smart and unobtrusive. I've seen others that were in the middle of the page which is tacky in my opinion.

[ForestsOfWildflowers]

Hi David,

Thanks for your response, I first started looking into watermarking for the same reason (eg if an image goes viral on pinterest there is a mark on where to source it). I see a lot of complaints about theft on here and I am always a little bit like 'clearly that customer isn't going to get your product, they will get a cheap replica and realise they have been had, don't stress' which may sound unsympathetic but we work in an online market and unfortunately that is the reality. The only thing I think that would be more irritating than having them stolen, is taking the time to watermark them and still having them stolen.
Thanks for the heads up on google ranking, a sizable chunk of my views come from google product listings so I wouldn't want to take a backwards step there.

[Plektra]

My thoughts on watermarking....

I highly doubt a customer won't buy if you have the photos watermarked. That definitely does not stop my customers from buying and coming back.

But it depends on the kind...a watermark like 'THIS IS MINE' is not attractive. A small, discreet one included in a nice way, doesn't bother me at all. As David said above, it can help you with branding. I have come across a shop with a largish watermark at the bottom of all the photos. The way everything is done - the style of photos, the colors and watermark - all blend together and now I remember the shop.

Sometimes the link of your photo / listing is broken or not included so without a watermark no one would know where the work is coming from. It does not happen all the time, but something to bear in mind.

As for ranking...our listings on Etsy are grouped under 'Marketplace'. So if a buyer finds your items on Google, they will click on the link to find you among your competitors. Your item might not even be on the first page or first line, even though your link came up in Google search. So...how much difference will it make in terms of Google ranking if your Etsy photos are watermarked or not? Maybe it's different for your photos on other sites.

And yes, watermarks can be removed, but let those unethical people go through the trouble of doing that work, rather than us just offering our photos ready to use.

Some other things to consider....if you watermark your photos, you might not be included in Gift Guides. But do you see a huge benefit when you are included? You could also have your photos on low resolution...

It's really up to you what you want to do. They are your photos after all!

[HummingbirdCraftsLLC]

To me it depends on where you are posting the pictures. For example, I use watermarks on Instagram, and some social media but not on Etsy. It does help with branding I find on other social media outlets. But, it is a personal choice.

[ForestsOfWildflowers]

@Minerva thanks for taking the time to give me all those considerations and the information, it's a lot to think about and I certainly appreciate your input

@hummingbirdcraftsllc what a great idea. I don't think my social media creates many google back links so that is great advice

[Former_Member]

Thanks for posting this question, I've been wondering myself.